"This is…"
All eyes followed the same direction. The keyhole for the second gate was five-pronged—meaning they needed five keys to open it.
Instinctively, they glanced at the keyring in Chen Junting's hand. Exactly five keys.
But…
"Don't bother looking. None of these work," Chen Junting said calmly. "Eggs aren't kept in one basket. From Li Chong's memories, he only held one key to this gate. The other four were carried by those four Grade 9 soul engineers—who've already left."
"What now?" Dugu Xin asked, glancing at Gu Tianchen. This mirrored the granary situation: no keys, relying on spatial ability. He clearly hoped for a repeat.
Gu Tianchen shared the thought. Soul power surged—space twisted—a vortex began forming.
But only he felt the crushing pressure.
Even with his spatial-attribute soul bone, it barely sustained the unstable gate for two breaths before collapsing like a soap bubble.
"No good. They prepared countermeasures," Gu Tianchen withdrew, expression grim. "The spatial suppression here far exceeds the granary's. Only at Title Douluo—or Super Douluo—could I stabilize a passage."
"Then we use another method," Chen Junting said, unsurprised.
Spatial arts were familiar to Title Douluos and beyond. The Sun Moon empire would naturally deploy countermeasures—specialized materials among them. Otherwise, their armory would be a sitting duck.
"Your turn," Chen Junting stepped aside.
Gu Tianchen immediately yielded.
Chen Junting's Eye of Fate slowly opened on his brow. A jade-green light detached, hovering before them—pulsing with vibrant life energy.
Instinctively, Gu Tianchen, Huo Yuhao, and Dugu Xin drew deep breaths. A wave of warmth washed over them, like stepping into a sanctuary.
With the Life Guardian Blade in hand, Chen Junting's blade flashed—piercing a critical node.
The solid metal gate crumbled like tofu. Then, the miraculous:
A faint jade glow spread across the door. Its ancient, weighty aura faded into ashen gray, while the blade's radiance intensified.
The metal was dying.
Chen Junting's Eye of Fate pulsed rhythmically, breathing life energy into him. Metal dust began flaking off the gate. As it crumbled, Gu Tianchen tensed—Huo Yuhao's spiritual detection warned: a Soul Saint waited behind the weakening door.
The moment the gate fully "died," its massive frame disintegrated. A sickly white beam shot toward Chen Junting—
Gu Tianchen blocked it effortlessly with his defenses. Huo Yuhao's eyes flashed blue—Soul Shock left the attacker dazed.
Whoosh—!
A spear thrust.
Predictably, the Grade 7 soul engineer collapsed, life fading.
Same method. Same result.
After extracting memories and looting the corpse, Chen Junting surveyed the chamber.
Still no soul tools—only rare metals. But these dwarfed Level One's haul. Over thirty types of exorbitantly valuable metals lined the shelves. Each worth multiples of Level One's stock, especially the seven or eight deep within.
Tons upon tons. Mouthwatering.
But soon to be theirs.
Chen Junting wasted no time. With a sweep of his hand, he began harvesting Level Two. Channeling Elder Electrolux and the Undead Demiplane, the metals vanished into the void.
Yet this was merely an appetizer.
His true prize lay in Level Three.
Following protocol, he used the Life Guardian Blade to dissolve the third gate.
Descending a twenty-meter staircase into Level Three, dim light revealed an overwhelming metallic aura—cold, lethal, awe-inspiring.
"Perfect! I came at exactly the right time!"
An endless steel forest stretched before them. Level Three alone spanned ten times Level One's area.
"This… this is the Sun Moon empire's military might!" Dugu Xin's voice trembled with awe. "Half their war reserves must be here! Sweep this clean, and they won't dare move against us for years!"
Sealed soul recovery bottles, massive soul-engineered cannons, soul-engineered ray guns, compact artillery, fixed-load artillery shells… Ranging from Grade 4 to Grade 7. Individually trivial to Title Douluos—but unleashed together?
Even a Super Douluo might fall.
Deployed on a battlefield? This arsenal could fully equip four Sun Moon soul engineer legions—fully mechanized. Such a force could overwhelm any single legion the Three Great Empires fielded.
The strategic value was staggering.
In that moment, Chen Junting's ambition blazed.
From this moment…
MINE. MINE. ALL MINE!
To secure every last item without trace, he turned to his companions, lips tightening.
"Absolute secrecy from here on."
Next second—
A non-mortal authority radiated outward. Behind Chen Junting, a faint gray silhouette materialized—ethereal, ancient, and utterly sovereign.
------------------------------------------------------
40+ Chapters Ahead: patreon.com/EphemeralShadow
There's something for free patrons too! Free Patrons receive 1 chapter in advance :)